When failing to act leads to the death of a student

When failing to act leads to the death of a student
When Kaleiah Jones, a Black teenager with a heart condition, collapsed in the hallway of her Newport News, Va. high school in February, her odds for survival were good. Her schoolmates immediately called for help, the school nurse and the resource officer raced to the scene and the school had several life-saving automatic defibrillator machines installed nearby.

Yet 10 minutes later, Kaleiah was still unconscious on the floor as the adults around her couldn’t figure out what to do. No one — not the nurse, nor the resource officer, nor the principal — had checked her pulse. No one had retrieved the defibrillator machines. The officer tried to perform CPR, but stopped after less than 20 seconds.

When paramedics arrived nearly 20 minutes after Kaleiah collapsed, they began CPR, but it was too late. Just 16, she died an hour later at a nearby hospital.

Those are the allegations in a new lawsuit the girl’s family has filed against the city of Newport News, its school board and the half-dozen or so Menchville High School educators who were there after Kaleiah lost consciousness that day. 

“The defendants’ gross negligence and willful and wanton negligence to Kaleiah’s medical needs caused her death,” the lawsuit says. “Had the defendants promptly commenced CPR and/or used the AED, Kaleiah would have survived.”

Benjamin Crump takes the case

Kaleiah’s mother, Keyonna Stewart, said the school was aware Kaleiah suffered from bradycardia, a condition in which an individual’s heart rate drops below 60 beats per minute, compared with a normal rate of between 60 to 100 beats per minute.

“My heart is broken. I wake up daily with the pain and sorrow that my sweet baby girl is not with me on this journey called life,” Stewart told local news station WAFB. “I will never get the opportunity to see Kaleiah fulfill every parent’s dreams of getting her license, graduating high school or walking down the aisle on her wedding day.”

The teenager’s death also points to a larger issue: Black K-12 students are at higher risk for receiving inadequate care in school emergencies.

Despite Virginia laws requiring school staff to be certified in CPR and the use of defibrillators, no one took the necessary actions to save Kaleiah’s life. According to the lawsuit, security cameras in the school’s hallway recorded the scene on Feb. 20, just after Kaleiah collapsed. The family is being represented by The Krudy Law Firm in Richmond as well as high-profile attorney Benjamin Crump.

When they arrived in the hallway, teachers, administrators, a school nurse and a resource officer reportedly stood by for more than 16 minutes, only occasionally trying to revive her, according to the lawsuit. They shook her shoulders, rubbed her leg and splashed water on her face; the resource officer performed chest compressions but stopped after just 17 seconds.

The national disparity in emergency response

Currently, 20 states — including Virginia — have laws that mandate CPR certification for school staff. Some specifically require certain employees, such as teachers, coaches or school personnel, to be trained and certified in CPR. However, CPR certification laws for students are more widespread, with 38 states requiring CPR training for high school graduation.

While many states focus on training students, fewer states mandate that all school staff—especially those not directly involved in athletics or physical education—be certified in CPR.

According to a 2019 Journal of the American Heart Association report, Black children are 41 percent less likely to receive bystander CPR than their white peers in public settings. Experts say the disparity — due in part to implicit racial biases, systemic neglect and poor training — put Black students’ lives at greater risk.

In August, for example, a Black 14-year-old boy suffering from seizures suddenly collapsed at his Houston middle school and later died. Although the school nurse was there moments after the boy collapsed, police body camera footage recorded her stating that she was not trained in performing CPR or using AEDs.

A call for accountability

Incidents like Kaleiah’s demonstrate the need for urgent reforms to hold schools accountable for the safety of all students, ensuring that when emergencies happen, every child—regardless of race—gets the care they need.

“The teachable moment starts now, just with the filing of the lawsuit, because you all are looking at Kaleiah’s face,” Crump, the lawyer representing her family, said during a press conference. “…and I hope you’re thinking about your children. But by the grace of God, it could be your child.”